Tag Archives: whump

They were only out there hunting that impossibly hot summer day because Prince Arthur wanted to annoy his manservant Merlin–something he would later kick himself for, repeatedly. Because as unreasonable as it was to be out doing anything in that heat, the two young men were not alone in the forest. Set upon by a band of renegade druids, Arthur finds himself magically incapacitated and incapable of doing anything to help Merlin, the object of the druid’s attack–clearly a case of mistaken identity, since they keep calling Merlin “Emrys” and claim he has powerful magic that people will be interested in paying lots of money for. Arthur ought, by rights, to be insulted about being left behind (a prince!) while his manservant is taken to be sold to the highest bidder . . . but the truth is, he’s mostly worried. About where Merlin is and what’s happening to him. About what the druids will do when they find out the mistake they’ve made, kidnapping the wrong person. Or worse, about what could happen if they’re right and Merlin actually is this Emrys person.

Emachinescat consistently crafts some of the best fanfiction out there, and Ransoming Emrys is no exception. The writing is excellent throughout, and moreover, it manages to capture the feels that make me love Merlin and these boys so much. The author manages to get in their heads, to show us not just what is going on at any one time, but also why. And there’s definitely a lot going on in this story. It manages to be a big plot sort of story while also giving us all the worried tension and emotional strain of a good whump story. And yes, there’s definitely whump here, but it’s the kind that brings out the BAMFery in Merlin, which is always fabulous. And we get a solid reveal here, with just the right amount of tension and bromance surrounding that and a nice open-ended conclusion so there’s some things left to the reader’s imagination. I loved the way Gwaine, Lancelot, and Percival get drawn in to the story, even when they’re not knights at Camelot yet at this point. The coincidence of Lancelot and Percival happening to show up on the scene would, in another author’s hands, have been just too convenient, but here it fit. And using Morgana and Morgause to move the story along was brilliantly done. It was also interesting to see the druid’s opinions on Emrys and his loyalty to Camelot and Arthur developed more, to see the disillusionment of some people in him. All in all, Ransoming Emrys is an exciting and feels-rich fanfic that I would highly recommend to Merlin fans.

King Arthur has gone to great lengths to retrieve his servant (best friend) from the hands of the slavers who captured him. But by the time he finds Merlin, well, words like “safe” and “normal” don’t exactly cut it. Some of the things Merlin has endured are going to take a long time to recover from–like the drug addiction forced on him to make him more obedient and his stubborn determination to knock the addiction no matter how bad the withdrawal symptoms may be. Or the panic attacks and depression that plague him even after he beats the drug. And there are some things that will never be the same again . . . like the fact that they took away his ability to speak forever. All of it is so very wrong, but Arthur is determined to help his friend get through this somehow.

I know, it’s probably sadistic of me, but I really enjoyed At a Loss for Words quite a lot. Yes, it’s very whumpish, and a lot of bad stuff happens to Merlin in it, but it’s also a hopeful and sweet story; the best sort of hurt/comfort, right? I love how a great deal of the story is from Arthur’s perspective and how we actually get to see an Arthur who’s openly concerned, who takes the time to be there for his friend and acknowledge how much Merlin actually means to him. And Merlin’s sections, even though they’re angsty, are also filled with that great sass that so characterizes him. I felt like the author’s handling of some very difficult content–like addiction, withdrawals, PTSD, and depression–were tastefully handled and really added a lot to the story. And (although I love a good reveal), it was neat to see a story with lots of caring and Arthur/Merlin friendship that didn’t involve a magic reveal–but leaves us set up nicely for a potential reveal in the future. The writing isn’t always perfect, but it’s quite readable and has a nice flow and a good feel for the characters, which is honestly more important that perfect grammar and word choice. And yes, there’s at least one place in which concepts are presented that weren’t discovered until years later . . . but let’s face it, Merlin has always placed story before technicality and historical accuracy anyhow, so I can’t really bring myself to care. In all the ways that count, At a Loss for Words is a touching, intense, heartbreaking, and enjoyable story that I would definitely recommend.

While out on a hunt (by themselves, of course), King Arthur and his manservant (best friend) Merlin find themselves captured by mercenaries. Naturally, in his attempt to keep the heat off of Arthur, Merlin manages to get himself injured pretty seriously, leaving him weak and sickly. Desperate to get his friend some help, Arthur finds a way to sneak them out of the mercenaries’ camp in the night, and it looks like they might just make it back to Camelot–none too soon, as Merlin’s condition continues to deteriorate. But the mercenaries track them down and catch up, taking Arthur and leaving Merlin for dead on the roadside, too ill to help Arthur even if he had been willing to use his magic and reveal his secret. Will either of them make it home safely? And even if they do, will they be able to handle the fallout of the events leading up to their return?

Compromising Position is one of those stories that, while in some ways following a lot of the usual Merlin fanfic plotlines, manages to be unique and memorable. I enjoyed the treatment of the characters–especially Arthur, Merlin, and Gwaine. We get at least one chapter from each of these three’s perspective, alternating depending on what’s going on. Gwaine’s chapter is probably my favorite chapter in the entire story; staymagical’s portrayal of his character is . . . flightier than I usually picture him, but very amusing and still quintessentially Gwaine. This is a pretty whumpish story, heavy on the hurt/comfort and angst fronts, but with enough bromance and humor to keep it from getting too heavy. Although the tension does run high at some points–one of the things I actually really enjoy about this story. I liked the way the reveal was handled, again, more angsty than some, but with a nice resolution. On a technical front, there are some minor grammatical issues and the occasional logical jump (most notably when Arthur sneaks away from the outskirts of camp after being tied up–no mention of rummaging around to find a sword–only to later somehow have a sword on him, how I have no idea). But the overall writing style is remarkably readable and enjoyable despite that. I really liked Compromising Position and would recommend it–and will likely re-read it myself several times over, as I have with staymagical’s other stories (also recommended).

On the way back to Camelot after ridding an outlying village of dangerous monster (and of course, Arthur just had to leave his nice magic sword home when dealing with a scary magic monster), the king and his knights find themselves ambushed. Arthur finds himself separated from his knights by a magical wall of fire, and naturally, Merlin finds a way through the fire wall to Arthur, is unwilling to risk Arthur’s life by fighting, drinks the poison that suppresses his magic, and gets himself stuck in a dungeon with his king (who is also his best friend, whether he admits it or not). And oh hey, they’re not actually after Arthur at all; they want Emrys and his powers at their beck and call. Oops. Merlin may not get out of this one with his secret intact.

I have to say that I really love the way this author writes Merlin and Arthur. I mean, the writing style in general is fabulous–easy to read and grammatically correct, yes, but also just really fun to read. But beyond that, the characters are excellent. They are definitely in character, but more than that, they are the best of their characters. You get tons of Merlin sass and a good bit of Arthur attitude as well. What’s more, you get inside Merlin’s head, so you get all his little sarcastic comments to himself that are just brilliantly funny. And the bromance between them portrayed here is great–the same feeling as the best parts of the show and their interactions there. While the other characters are not involved in this story as much (what with Merlin and Arthur being locked up together then traveling together for a good chunk of the story), when they do show up, they also evoke the best of their characters in the show, the things about them that I love the most. As for the plot, it’s a nice balance of whump and hurt/comfort combined with adventure. There’s enough actual plot to keep things interesting, and it’s really cool to see Arthur’s development as he adjusts his ideas regarding magic and actually communicates with the magic users in his kingdom. Plus, you’ve got a really awesome battle scene at the end which is quite original and engaging and generally amazing. Merlin is totally badass, and it’s super cool. I think Facing the Truth exemplifies the best of a lot of the things I love most about the Merlin fandom, and as such, I would highly recommend it.

Spoiler Alert: may contain spoilers through season 11/AU after this point

Sometimes, it seems like the Winchesters just can’t catch a break. After only four months of wedded bliss, Dean goes missing, leaving a frantic Cas and Sam behind searching for him, with no success. Seven months later, Dean turns up on the side of a road, half-dead and with no memory–not of who he is, of hunting, or even of the people who mean the most to him. Heartbroken, but determined to do what’s best for Dean, Cas agrees to stay away from him and allow him the chance at a normal life, one not filled with monsters and a broken past laden with regrets. But what Sam and Cas don’t realize is that the one thing Dean doesn’t need right now is to be left alone.

I have to admit, I’ve been rather hesitant to review this story. Because really, it’s extremely intense and graphic at points, and yeah, there’s a lot of sex. But at the same time, What the Mind Forgets was an extremely well-written story, one that was thoughtful and moving and captured the characters well. So here’s the review, but read the story only with that in mind. Also do know that, as the author points out, there is a valid happy-ending stop point at chapter 22, so if you stop there, you have a few loose ends, but you miss the worst of the ick and violence–although there’s still a lot of sex up to that point. This is primarily a slow-burn romance story about two guys who are married, after all. Which is a really interesting starting point, in my mind, starting AU at the end of season 11 and instead of the whole BMOL and having Mary back, giving us a fully-human Castiel and a bit of downtime for him and Dean to have some happiness together. It’s sweet, and it makes the ache of Dean’s amnesia that much more intense. Now normally I hate the amnesia trope, because that’s usually exactly what it is–an overused and poorly handled plot device that messes with an otherwise decent story. Not so here; the author highlights all the emotional and psychological issues of Dean’s amnesia both from his perspective and from Cas’s in a well-thought-out manner. The loss, the confusion, the pain of seeing someone you know only they’re not really the same person at all inside. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s also really sweet, seeing a new relationship developing between Dean and Cas, seeing Dean trying so hard, seeing the gradual transformation in Castiel. I really loved that–enough to make it well worth the reading in spite of the above warnings, and I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Santa Barbara’s favorite (fake) psychic detective has gotten himself stumped–not something he appreciates. Shawn and his colleagues are tracking down a killer who live tweets his crimes, but they just can’t seem to keep up. This guy is just too good. And too psychopathic for Shawn’s usual tricks to work; he’s finding the guy impossible to read. Which becomes problematic in the extreme when the killer takes an interest in Shawn personally. . . .

Gah, writing summaries for mysteries is nigh on impossible to do well! Anyhoo. A Little Birdie Told Me actually has quite an intriguing plot and premise both, regardless of how poorly I describe them. And with 36 lengthy chapters, the author takes the time to develop the ideas properly. There’s a good balance of mystery, romance, and excitement throughout, including some nail-biting moments in the latter half of the story. The writing itself is absolutely solid; very nice to read. But what I probably love most about this fanfic is the way in which the author captures the characters. The tale is told in first person, alternating between Shawn’s (primarily) and Juliet’s voice–and the characters are spot on. I’ve seen writers capture Shawn pretty well in the past, but this author goes the extra mile to pull together nuances, details, all the little absurd things that make Shawn, well, Shawn. I love it! The relationship building between Shawn and Juliet is really cute as well, very them. I would definitely recommend A Little Birdie Told Me to Psych fans everywhere, and I will be checking out the author’s other work in the near future.

If only Merlin had been a bit more careful about concealing his magical protection of the king and his knights when they were attacked by the mercenaries. Sure, Arthur and the others had never particularly noticed the falling branches and overheating enemy swords, and sure, these mercenaries weren’t the brightest bunch, but the fact was, they noticed that Merlin had magic. And that was something the self-proclaimed warlord whom they worked for was very interested in. Because magic means power–possibly even enough power to take over Camelot. But he didn’t count on Merlin’s stubborn loyalty, and he made the possibly fatal mistake of underestimating Merlin’s power. Will loyalty be enough to convince Arthur when he finds out about Merlin’s magic, though?

I really enjoyed reading Of Swords and Warlords, and I’m looking forward to checking out some of the author’s other fanfics. This particular story starts out pretty whumpy, so fair warning there. The author does a good job of bringing out the individual characters though, and I really enjoyed the way the reveal was handled. I also found it amusing that this one started out with Merlin being discovered completely by accident–not by some group seeking out the legendary Emrys, not even by someone out to get the king, but by a group of mercenaries who happened to see too much. Throughout the story, there’s a nice mix of humor and caring/protectiveness that goes a long way to balance out the violence and the angst (not that this is that angst-heavy of a piece to begin with). A lot of that comes from Gwaine, naturally; the author does a great job with his character, and I really love the friendship sections between him and Merlin. Incidentally, I also love that he already secretly knows about Merlin’s magic; I’ve seen about a 50-50 split in fanfics regarding this, and it’s always amusing to see which direction an author goes with that. Other random stuff that I enjoyed in this story includes a country doctor in a small independent village between Camelot and Cenred’s kingdom (not something you see much of) and Merlin’s “sleep-magicing” like some people may sleepwalk or talk in their sleep (not the best way to keep his magic a secret!). As for the writing itself, there are a couple minor typos and a bit of a tendency towards run-on sentences, but overall it flows, is quite readable, and is engaging and interesting. Of Swords and Warlords would definitely be among my recommended Merlin fanfics, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel (which is currently being released).